Cleaning up a tyre mountain - 24th September 2021

This sea of car tyres in Kuwait's desert is being removed and a new city built in its place. The dump grew over 17 years to cover two square kilometres.

It's home to over 40 million tyres and has had two enormous fires. The environmental risks have now led to its closure.

Environment Public Authority Director Sheikh Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah sees a new future.

Sheikh Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah: "We will not allow any tyres to be buried in the future. They will all get recycled and we will do what is necessary to put all waste in the country on the road map for recycling in the Salmiya area."

It's taken several months, and 44,000 lorry loads, to clear the site. The tyres have been moved to storage units which meet international standards. This prevents further fires and wider pollution. Kuwait's government aims to recycle every tyre and avoid burying any in landfill dumps.

Rubber recycling company EPSCO Global General is giving the tyres new purpose. Its CEO, Alaa Hassan, explains how.

Alaa Hassan: "The factory produces several materials, including tiles, materials used in playgrounds, materials used in walking tracks and those used in infrastructure."

Its reprocessing facility can handle two million tyres per year. The government is keen for other firms to find additional ways to recycle the tyre mountain.

Now the site has been entirely cleared, it can be transformed into the new Saad Al-Abdullah City.